A helicopter helps the effort to control a fire in Sunbury on Christmas Day. Photo: Simon O'Dwyer

The 47-year-old man accused of lighting that fire is also alleged to have lit another one in the region four days later on December 29. He was charged on January 2 with 13 offences over the two incidents.

According to a Channel Nine news report, the man who is alleged to have lit the fire was out on bail on October 27, 2015 for a previous arson charge.

United Firefighters Union of Australia national secretary PeterMarshall has called for GPS tracking device to be clamped on anyone who is charged with a fire offence, particularly during periods of high fire danger.

He said placing an ankle tracker on all who were charged would free up police surveillance resources.

He said currently in Victoria the GPS tracker was fitted on only one offender.

Mr Marshall said anything that could "assist in minimising" loss of life and damage to the property should be "implemented to its full extent".

"In relations to arson, there are clearly well over 1000 fires that have been deemed suspicious over the 12 months," Mr Marshall said.

"The damage to the Victorian economy equates to around a billion dollars when you have large scale wild fires."

Mr Marshall also called for a "successful program" for reforming juvenilefire lighters to be used to get adult arsonists to try to change their ways.

The Juvenile Fire Awareness Intervention Prevention [JFAIP] was developed by the Royal Children's Hospital and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in the 1990s for children identified as firebugs - under the guidance of a psychiatrist, a young would-be arsonist spends time with the firefighters with the aim of teaching juveniles the consequences of their actions.

It's believed more than 500 children have been referred to the program in the past six years.

"We say that similar effort should be going into adult fire-lighters.

"As identification and, indeed, prevention are one thing, but predominantly these people are very unwell, and they need help."